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MOTUC Q&A's From Around the Net (3/15/2012)

1.) When the Wind Raider goes back on sale around SDCC time, will the price be the same as 2011 ($45) or will it be raised to reflect the price increase of 2012 (10%)?

It will likely go up just slightly as all 2012 items have.

2.) We still have one $40 item to go in 2012. Can you confirm or deny that this last slot is another 2-pack?

That will be revealed at SDCC!

3.) With long droughts between "big reveal" conventions and shows (like the gap between Toy Fair and SDCC), it seems as if it might be a good idea to sneak out small reveals through other outlets to keep fans excited about the line. Toyfare used to be a good vehicle for this, but with that magazine now gone, have you thought about maybe reaching out to fan sites? Even small teaser images (like showing Grizzlor's back in Toyfare) would get fans jazzed while fostering a healthy relationship between your company and its supportive fan sites.
There will still be periodic reveals outside of the shows! Stay tuned.

4.) What is your ideal sellout time for the Wind Raider's second sale? I am not trying to stir up trouble here- It would just be nice for fans to know what will be deemed a success.
Sorry, we can't comment on things like this. This is proprietary information to Mattel strategy we don't share publically.

5.) With lower sub sales in 2012, did you give any thought to reshuffling the planned rollout of the line (which was previously planned out through 2017)? If not, and if sub numbers continue to dwindle, will you perhaps reconsider removing some of the "filler" figures (third or fourth tier characters) and moving some of the "heavy hitters" (like Ram-Man) scheduled for later in the line to an earlier spot in the hopes of making MOTUC as "complete" as possible?

Although the subs went down from 2011, they are still way way above our min units needed to run the line. We could actually cut the line to 2012 subs only and do just fine. The line is doing great. The dip from 2011 just meant we won't look at expanding too fast. It doesn't indicate the current line with the current roll out/number of skus is in any danger or not doing great.

1. I recently saw an awesome Batros custom, made of mostly MOTUC parts with just a little bit of sculpting. Do the guys at Mattel ever look at customs and then decide to add a character to the mix? Like, does seeing someone else do a character using your stock parts and do it well, get the folks at Mattel interested in seeing if they can create that character just as good (if not better) whereas before he hadn't been considered much?

We do read online posts and blogs but as a policy do not accept unsolitied material. All submissions need to be sent offically to our inventory relations department to be considered for review.

2. In the upcoming Granamyr figure, is the plan to make him fairly poseable or is he likely to be a big figure that's more static like the SDCC Stay Puft? Are there any early plans to try and get Granamyr to a certain level of articulation?

With the New Thunderpunch He-man was there ever thoughts to make the cap sound feature work?

No. Current safety regulations do not allow this.

The leaked MOTU art from the comic is great. Previously the MOTU comic was special for the anniv, any hope to continue it?

The leak was not intentional and ideally will not repeat itself. The comic is already printed (as shown at NYTF) and we want fans to experience it first as a complete project, not as early pencils. Fine to see the "in progress" version in time, but we want to get the final version out first.

Kastor's Korner: We love the concept of the 30th Anniversary Collecton, and most of the creators involved make perfect sense-- the only creator whose involvement is less clear is Geoff Johns… can you explain how and why the DC Comics writer became involved with the 30th Anniversary line?

Matty: Sure. When we were actively polling well known comic artists and pop culture celebs to do a new MOTUC figure Geoff (as a life long MOTU fan and a swell guy) was the only one willing to do a figure for free and let us use his name to promote it. He just loves MOTU that much. Our budget is very small and this was a project of love and passion. The other creators we approached were not interested in these terms which is why two slots wound up going to Mattel (Terry and Scott). The original idea was to get all celebrity designers or folks who were associated with the current brand. While Geoff wound up being the only "celebrity" things still worked out great with other members of the MOTUC team getting to contribute to the brand they love.

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: Will Frosta feature swivel articulation in the thigh? A few of the recent female figures have lost that particular articulation point and it hurts the overall poseability of the figure.

We are not far enough along with this figure but will pass this note to the Horsemen.

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: With Kobra Kahn released, we’d be remiss if we didn’t inquire about Camo Kahn again. Is he on Mattel’s radar? And if so, would he likely be a subscription figure or offered outside of it?

Definitely a character we have kept our eye on. He would have worked great on something like a TRU vs. 2 pack. But could still work as a quarterly variant now that this retail sku is done. We don’t have any plans to announce right now but we have talked about this fan requested variant.

1) Without going into specifics, can you tell us if more Shadow Weavers were produced than SDCC '08 King Grayskulls, or less? Fans just wonder which figure had the lowest production run.

SDCC King Grayskull is the lowest run followed by Shadow Weaver and then Wun-Dar and Preternia He-Man.

2) Figures often arrive with bent weapons, and though it's not too complicated to fix that, it's still kind of a nuisance. Is there a way to ensure that accessoires ain't packed in a way that bends them?

We will pass this off to packaging and let them know customers are still looking for improvements.

3) Do you have concrete plans to motivate more fans to sign for the Club Eternia 2013 subscription who passed on the 2012 sub?
We did move a few 2013 figures around (for the first time) to ensure the Q1 figures are very strong to show fans how much life the line still has! When we aquired the Filmation rights it meant a reworked of all future line ups, so we used this opportunity to ensure the Q1 figures each year were very strong to help sell in the subs.

4) Since Filmation characters are possible now, would there be a chance to see the BraveStarr brand, like producing the Marshall himself as a sort of MotUC special surprise Exclusive?

Brave Starr is s separate license from MOTU. We do not have rights to every property CM manages, only MOTU (and Voltron!). But both are 100% separate agreements with the same partner.

1. With all the accessories that have been cut off, the arm cannon and the Keldor blades fans have started to speculate about a weapons pack with new weapons instead of only repaints this time. This would be great to get out the Draego Man shield or the Horde Prime staff. Can you give hints on this one?

We can't comment on specifics but we are working on finding a home(s) for these cut accessories due to the higher costs we were hit with after the subs were sold.

2. There have been contradictionary rumors about the accessories for the Snakemen Soldiers... can you give us a list with all that is coming in this 2pack?

3. Will Granamyr still be at the 80$ price point or is it more likely he will turn out to cost 88 $ now with the price increase for 2012? If so, will there be a discount for subholders?

We haven't finished designing him yet but expect the price to be between $80-100.00

4. In Germany we will be celebrating the next Grayskull Con from August,31st until September, 2nd. How high are chances that you will show a new figure/ item there (if only by picture it would be fine)?

It all depends on what is available at the time. No plans right now but we will see how schedules go. Usually at shows (like NYTF) we are bringing items just scalped that week!)

5. If and when you get to the Molkrom creature, will it be based on the Swift Wind buck?

Possible. Nothing is planned at this time but a cool idea.

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The sites listed below are the sites who want to participate in the Q&A round-up in these threads and on the He-Man.org homepage news entry.
Be sure to check out their sites! There's a lot there to see in addition to the Q&As.

All other sites haven't gotten back to us yet about participating, or have asked not to be included which we completely understand and respect.
So, please do not post the actual questions and answers from any site not listed above.
But you are welcome to post a direct link to their Q&A, and discuss the info here in this thread.

Although the subs went down from 2011, they are still way way above our min units needed to run the line. We could actually cut the line to 2012 subs only and do just fine. The line is doing great. The dip from 2011 just meant we won't look at expanding too fast. It doesn't indicate the current line with the current roll out/number of skus is in any danger or not doing great.

Yeah I have been saying for some time that even if they switched to 6 figures every other month or 12-18 figures a year the line would be fine. I never was a fan of the grand expansion, imho it makes delays, is a big financial dedication in a down economy, and just is too much too soon. I would rather we go into 2015-2017 at a slow rate then blow it out and risk the bottom crashing.

Owner Fantastic Plastic Toys. Authorized Integrity Toys Dealer. We ship international. We carry Monster High, Realm of the Underworld, Funko, NECA, Japanese Imports & much more! Creator of Mystical Warriors of the Ring, a 2" Animal Wrestling Minifigure line, with toys now made in China! Check us out!

Yeah I have been saying for some time that even if they switched to 6 figures every other month or 12-18 figures a year the line would be fine. I never was a fan of the grand expansion, imho it makes delays, is a big financial dedication in a down economy, and just is too much too soon. I would rather we go into 2015-2017 at a slow rate then blow it out and risk the bottom crashing.

They hook the customer base, and then they cut costs and raise prices. This happened with JLU, DCUC, etc.

I think it's just the way they do things nowadays... and frankly, it HAS hurt their reputation among the adult collector customers. Maybe items still sell, but long-term, they have likely lost a significant amount of customers on different lines.

I called this whole price increase thing a while ago. Scott was freaking out about how "low" sub sales were for last year. I figured there might have been a dip, but I did NOT believe that it was the lowest amount of sub sales ever. Do we honestly believe that there are less Subscribers in 2012 than there were for the mini-sub in 2009?

If prices go to $30 / figure, I won't be buying anymore. I'll wait and get them at a deep discount on ebay eventually... or when Mattycollector unloads them during a "Madness" sale (as they will likely have to because people will stop buying).

Scott's comment about the figures eventually costing "$40" was ridiculous. There is no retail middle man (unless you count Digital River's price gouging via "Shipping & Handling" ). They've CLEARLY changed vendors and the quality of the product is obviously lesser (the plastic smells badly, the plastic is lighter... is anyone going to argue that Demo-Man, for example, felt as high-quality as Zodac, or even Vikor? I just mean with regard to the materials used).

And if we don't pay $30 (plus $14 UPS, plus tax... nearly $50 / figure), the line will end and it will be the "fans' fault."

Sad.

I'm sorry, but I do NOT believe that "rising costs in China" justify $30 / figure. The real issue is the profit margin that Mattel, and every other American company expects nowadays.

They want things like a 700% profit margin, when they could charge less, and probably sell more product, if they went with a 400% or 500% profit margin.

The real issue is the profit margin that Mattel, and every other American company expects nowadays.

The publicly traded companies are driven by this because their investors expect higher stock prices and better returns on their investment. Many individuals, such as myself, rely on these earnings to fund our 401k retirement portfolios. It's a vicious cycle

They hook the customer base, and then they cut costs and raise prices. This happened with JLU, DCUC, etc.

I think it's just the way they do things nowadays... and frankly, it HAS hurt their reputation among the adult collector customers. Maybe items still sell, but long-term, they have likely lost a significant amount of customers on different lines.

I called this whole price increase thing a while ago. Scott was freaking out about how "low" sub sales were for last year. I figured there might have been a dip, but I did NOT believe that it was the lowest amount of sub sales ever. Do we honestly believe that there are less Subscribers in 2012 than there were for the mini-sub in 2009?

If prices go to $30 / figure, I won't be buying anymore. I'll wait and get them at a deep discount on ebay eventually... or when Mattycollector unloads them during a "Madness" sale (as they will likely have to because people will stop buying).

Scott's comment about the figures eventually costing "$40" was ridiculous. There is no retail middle man (unless you count Digital River's price gouging via "Shipping & Handling" ). They've CLEARLY changed vendors and the quality of the product is obviously lesser (the plastic smells badly, the plastic is lighter... is anyone going to argue that Demo-Man, for example, felt as high-quality as Zodac, or even Vikor? I just mean with regard to the materials used).

And if we don't pay $30 (plus $14 UPS, plus tax... nearly $50 / figure), the line will end and it will be the "fans' fault."

Sad.

I'm sorry, but I do NOT believe that "rising costs in China" justify $30 / figure. The real issue is the profit margin that Mattel, and every other American company expects nowadays.

They want things like a 700% profit margin, when they could charge less, and probably sell more product, if they went with a 400% or 500% profit margin.

If I remember correctly, Scott said they were the lowest sub sales to date; they're still above and beyond the minimum necessary. And yes, I can totally believe that. Sub sales were down across the board, but MOTUC is apparently the "little line that could".

If I remember correctly, Scott said they were the lowest sub sales to date; they're still above and beyond the minimum necessary. And yes, I can totally believe that. Sub sales were down across the board, but MOTUC is apparently the "little line that could".

I still think 2009 was the smallest since it was a half year "test" , it had no sub figure/poster and was avoided by a lot of people (I remember having to buy monthly for my customers vs 2010 and 2011 when they all had subs)

I would not be surprised if Scott does not consider 2009 a real sub and is talking about 2010-2012

Owner Fantastic Plastic Toys. Authorized Integrity Toys Dealer. We ship international. We carry Monster High, Realm of the Underworld, Funko, NECA, Japanese Imports & much more! Creator of Mystical Warriors of the Ring, a 2" Animal Wrestling Minifigure line, with toys now made in China! Check us out!

I'd prefer they go back to the 2010 model. 12 monthlies, 4 quarterlies (that make sense, instead of tacked-on SMAA), up to 4 beast/oversized outside of the sub... with the option of subholders getting a crack at the beast/oversized (with reduced limit) before day-of-sale customers.

I still think 2009 was the smallest since it was a half year "test" , it had no sub figure/poster and was avoided by a lot of people (I remember having to buy monthly for my customers vs 2010 and 2011 when they all had subs)

I would not be surprised if Scott does not consider 2009 a real sub and is talking about 2010-2012

3.) With long droughts between "big reveal" conventions and shows (like the gap between Toy Fair and SDCC), it seems as if it might be a good idea to sneak out small reveals through other outlets to keep fans excited about the line. Toyfare used to be a good vehicle for this, but with that magazine now gone, have you thought about maybe reaching out to fan sites? Even small teaser images (like showing Grizzlor's back in Toyfare) would get fans jazzed while fostering a healthy relationship between your company and its supportive fan sites.

There will still be periodic reveals outside of the shows! Stay tuned.

In other words - NEW ADVENTURES SKELETOR revealed on March 28th on Matty Collector.com

2. In the upcoming Granamyr figure, is the plan to make him fairly poseable or is he likely to be a big figure that's more static like the SDCC Stay Puft? Are there any early plans to try and get Granamyr to a certain level of articulation?

His articulation level will be similar to Tytus.

So in other words, it's gonna be $80 for a crappy rotocast toy with horrible articulation.

2. In the upcoming Granamyr figure, is the plan to make him fairly poseable or is he likely to be a big figure that's more static like the SDCC Stay Puft? Are there any early plans to try and get Granamyr to a certain level of articulation?

His articulation level will be similar to Tytus.

So in other words, it's gonna be $80 for a crappy rotocast toy with horrible articulation.

In the upcoming Granamyr figure, is the plan to make him fairly poseable or is he likely to be a big figure that's more static like the SDCC Stay Puft? Are there any early plans to try and get Granamyr to a certain level of articulation?

His articulation level will be similar to Tytus.

Wonderful ! Now, we'll get a $80 figure with very limited articulations (I guess in order for him to get ball jointed articulations, his price should be around $180)...

Granamyr will have to look REAALLLY amazing. Otherwise, I'll just have to pass.

Wonderful ! Now, we'll get a $80 figure with very limited articulations (I guess in order for him to get ball jointed articulations, his price should be around $180)...

Granamyr will have to look REAALLLY amazing. Otherwise, I'll just have to pass.

Exactly. What is the point of producing a figure if it's not going to be done remotely right? The price point isn't the problem. The issue is the lack of perceived value and missing wow factor due to the minimal articulation. Although an $80 statue may still appeal to some die-hard MOTU fans, it's not going to please the hardcore action figure fans which are a vital part of this line's success. Granamyr is doomed to be a failure. This is another poor decision by Scott and Mattel.